It's your heritage...pass it on.

The Irish American Heritage Museum is a permanently chartered 501(c)3 non-profit with an educational mission. It is committed to the basic tenet that preserving one’s heritage is vital to providing a cultural and historical foundation to future generations of Americans.

Our museum in Albany, New York, provides year-round access to our exhibits, our Paul O’Dwyer Library, lectures, presentations, film screenings, book signings and other special programs and events.

The Museum was an integral force in providing instruction in New York State’s public schools about the Irish Famine of 1845-1853. Further, we are the first Museum of its kind here in America to have exhibited at the National Library in Dublin.

One of the realities of modern culture is that we do not talk much about death or how to cope with it when it occurs in our lives. The Irish American Heritage Museum will discuss traditional Irish cultural habits, as well as modern literature to offer a round-table conversation on this important topic. Alden (Joe) Dolittle, a regional storyteller, volunteer chaplain at Albany Medical Center, and and Advanced Care Planning facilitator will join Dr. Jeffrey Berman in conversation. Dr. Berman writes and teaches writing about death and loss in literature and life. His book, Death in the Classroom, describes these factors and the course that he designed and taught two years after his wife's death.
Join us for a cultural, philosophical, and healing session.

For many years, Hugh Carey served on the Museum’s Board of Advisors, providing guidance and helping facilitate the Museum’s educational programs and events. The Museum’s Board of Trustees annually bestows the Hugh L. Carey Award reflecting the spirit of his own public service. The Award honors individuals who make significant contributions to improving our society, as Hugh Carey did, through community and public service; the arts; cultural endeavors; the health care, teaching, law/justice, science, sports/athletics and other professions. This year we are delighted to honor one of the Capital Region’s most respected community leaders, retired U.S. Congressmember Michael McNulty; Kerry Kennedy, whose newest book Ripples of Hope explores the influence that her father Robert continues to have on the issues at the heart of America's identity; the late Thomas D. McNabb, who was on the Board of the Museum for twenty years, and National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. To add to the evening’s excitement, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and The Ambassador Consul General of Ireland Ciarán Madden serve as Honorary Co-Chairs.